


Sweet Tooth, Tender Heart

by swampy (HeadedMints)



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort Food, Fluff, M/M, i'll really only be visiting this as a cool down sort of thing, ignoring remind bc i didn't buy it, slight KH3 spoilers, so it shouldn't be too long, this was really fun to write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadedMints/pseuds/swampy
Summary: Sora's heart is damaged after releasing Roxas and Ventus', and he's forbidden from wielding his keyblade until he can recover. Without any worlds to save or training to undergo, Sora dusts off his passion for cooking, and finds that food can connect people's hearts just as easily as he's connected his with others.
Relationships: Aqua & Terra & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Axel & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	Sweet Tooth, Tender Heart

The sweet smell of baked apples comes wafting out of the oven as soon as Sora opens it. He scoops up the tray and kicks the oven door closed, and once he's got it over the counter he takes the bottom of the tray out and sets the tart on the decorating plate.

He sits beside the counter and patiently waits for the tart to cool. He taps his foot against the floor and stares at the hot air rising off the exposed compote, nervous and excited to see how it's turned out. He's practically ready to jump out of his shoes by the time his Gummiphone's timer goes off, and he rushes over to the fridge to pull out the jar of apricot jam.

He tries to brush the jam on as evenly as he can, not too thick and not too thin. Remy watches attentively from his shoulder, not providing any guidance. Sora had insisted he could cook by himself this time; now it's up to him to live up to the expectation he's set for himself. The jam goes on sweet and clear and once he's finished Sora lets Remy down next to the sink so he can wash his hands.

Sora grabs a knife from the rack and tries his best to cut a good sized piece. The crust cracks a little as he cuts through the tart, and the cuts don't really meet at the same point, so the slice looks a little weird. He grimaces a little at the shape of it but nonetheless carefully slides it onto the serving platter.

"So," Sora says, stepping back from his less - than - elegant tart and the uneven slice. He wipes the flour off his nose with his thumb and puts his hands on his hips, looking over to Remy, who's just about done washing up. "How'd I do?"

Remy scuttles across the counter and swipes up his fork with anticipation, carefully slicing through the soft compote and crisp crust. He looks it over before slowly putting a corner of the tart into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. He sets the fork down and thinks even longer, and Sora leans down onto the counter and waits, bouncing on the soles of his feet.

"Well?"

Remy gestures towards the whole of the tart, framing it in his hands like a picture, and gives Sora a thumbs up. But then he grabs at his throat and coughs, then points to the compote and moves his hands to look like he's holding something. Sora thinks, folding his arms and resting his cheek against his forearm. He slowly translates the motions into words, keeping the tart in mind.

"The presentation was good, huh?" Remy nods, glad he could communicate his thoughts effectively. Sora smiles and moves to thinking about the rest of his gestures, holding his chin between his knuckle and his thumb. "But the tart was dry... and the compote was kinda lumpy. Right?"

Remy nods again. Sora sighs and sits up, leaning back on his hands against the opposite countertop. The knot of his apron presses against the counter, which presses it into his back. He looks up towards the ceiling. 

"Is it good, though?" Sora asks, lifting his head and leveling his gaze back onto Remy. The little chef nods, smiling, which sets Sora at ease. He shrugs, straightening and wiping his hands on his apron, "For my first time, at least."

It really doesn't look too bad. Sora snatches up Remy's fork and, with only a moment's hesitation, takes a much larger piece off the awkward slice and pops it into his mouth.

It does crunch a little too much, and the compote does still have some mushy pieces of apple in it. But it's nice and sweet, and the compote's not under done, and the jam is a nice touch to the whole affair. Overall, it's not bad at all. All he needs to do next time is work on his compote and bake it for less time.

"I think Ventus would like this," Sora hums, remembering that the older boy had a fondess for sweets. He, Terra, and Aqua could probably share a whole tart and still have some left over. He turns to Remy again, "Mind if I take this home with me?"

Remy gives him another thumbs up. Sora moves to the opposite end of the kitchen and sorts through the folded take away boxes until he finds one that's just the right size. He rushes back over, carefully assembling the box and slipping the tart into it, making sure he doesn't crack the bottom.

"I better get this to them quick. I don't think it'll be good microwaved..." He scoops up the box and tucks it under his arm, heading towards the exit. He waves to Remy, opening the doors with his back, "See you, Remy! Have a good day!"

The Gummi ship is parked just outside, far enough out of the way that people can still get to the bistro. He kicks the side door open with his foot and pushes it aside with his shoulder, setting the box on the closest seat before pulling the door closed. He buckles the box in before taking his own seat at the controls.

The engine rumbles to life beneath him. It lifts into the air, buildings quickly disappearing, and the sky opens up and darkens. Stars glitter along the space between worlds. The ship shudders a little as it passes through the world boundary, weighed down as it pulls free from reality.

He sees Ventus in his heart, feels the connection between them already guiding the ship towards him. He's staying at Radiant Garden until he's fully recovered from awakening. Aqua and Terra visit him from time to time when they're not off doing their own keyblade master business, so hopefully they'll be there today.

Sora should probably still be recovering, too, having had so many hearts torn from him so quickly - but he'd just get so bored sitting around doing nothing. Mickey and Master Yen Sid let him roam free on one condition; he's not allowed to use his keyblade until his heart patches itself up.

Sora puts his hand over his chest and can practically feel the hole Ventus and Roxas left behind. He closes his eyes, hand slowly curling into a fist. Beneath his skin his heart is in tatters. He wonders if he'll ever be able to wield his keyblade again.

The ship's navigation system beeps, alerting him that he's arrived at his destination. Sora opens his eyes and leans forward to set the ship to land, slumping back into his seat. The cockpit rattles again as the ship passes another world boundary, heavier this time, like it's sinking into water. He unbuckles his seatbelt before the ship touches the ground, grabbing the tart off the seat. Air hisses beneath them as they land.

He leaps out through the side door and starts out running, because if he doesn't make it upstairs in one go he's never going to get to the top. The stairs seem to go on forever, like always, but once he reaches the door to Yen Sid's room he's only just a little out of breath.

Sora shoulders open the door to find the three of them having tea at a short little table near the window. Terra's knees are nearly touching his chest, Aqua sitting across from him in an equally short chair, Ventus sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. Terra, setting down his teacup, notices him first.

"Hey, Sora." He smiles, brushing one of his bangs behind a pointed ear. There are the faintest streaks of silver still lingering in his roots, which become visible when his hair falls back into his face. "How're you doing?"

"I'm good." He shrugs. He pulls up a chair and looks over to Ventus and Aqua, "Mind if I join in?"

"Not at all." Aqua grabs the kettle off the tray and pours him a cup of tea. It's still hot, gently steaming. Sora plops down into his seat and sets the tart beside him, eagerly reaching for the offered teacup. "It's nice to see you so chipper. Are you feeling well?"

"As well as I can, I guess. Just gotta wait a while." He stares down at his cup and idly swirls it in his hand, watching the tea rock against the sides. Sora waits a beat in silence before remembering why he came here in the first place. "Oh, right! Ven, I brought you something."

He perks up, voice a little quieter than usual, and asks, "You did?"

"I made it this morning, so it should still be warm," He says as he opens the box and turns it around to display his hard work. The three of them lean over the table to admire it. "It's an apple tart. I thought you guys might like it."

"Oh, it looks wonderful!" Aqua smiles. Either she's easily impressed or eager to give praise, but Sora doesn't mind the attention either way. He smiles back, feeling warm inside. "Thanks so much, Sora."

"You gonna stay long enough so we can share it?" Terra asks, taking his cup in hand again. He shifts in his seat, trying and failing to find a way he could sit to be more comfortable. "It's the least we can do."

"Uh - sure!" Sora itches at the back of his head, only a little embarassed. Recently he's been like this about things he's never even considered before. "Guess I can stay for tea."

Plates are dished out and the silverware is summoned up to the table, finally seeing some use. As Ventus takes a small bite his eyes go wide, and he sets his fork down and looks up at Sora, mouth just a little bit open.

"This is really good." He says. He immediately takes his fork back up and goes in for another, larger piece.

Terra gives Sora a knowing look, and Sora understands - Ventus needs the little things. He needs the little things, like tea parties and casual talks and sweets made for him so that his heart can weather the big things, the big things that crash against the heart like waves on a rocky shore. He needs love and kindness and good food to build his heart back up piece by piece.

This knowledge bubbles up inside Sora like it's been trapped at the very back of his mind, waiting until it was long forgotten to finally reappear. He smiles and nods, taking a sip of his tea.

"It's nice of you to visit," Ven begins, "But did you know you still have your apron on?"

Sora looks down and realizes, with a sigh, that he was so excited to visit that he completely forgot about cleaning himself up. Aqua chuckles a little from behind her hand, and Terra smiles a little softer. Ven laughs, softly, squinting as his cheeks push up on his eyes. Sora joins in, laughing with them. It isn't even really that funny.

For some reason, he's glad he left the apron on.


End file.
